Varsity Male Athlete of the Week: Joe Swanson, Girard basketball

Joe Swanson, Girard

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The Girard and Harbor Creek boys basketball teams met in one of the Erie BayHawks' High School Showcase games Saturday at Erie Insurance Arena.

Joe Swanson's scoring performance for the YellowJackets was worthy of the Showcase spotlight.

Swanson helped Girard complete a 3-0 week against Region 6 opposition. The 6-foot 4-inch senior recorded a game-high 20 points in the 'Jackets' 55-36 victory, which was the second of two District 10 contests that preluded the BayHawks' NBA D-League clash with Sioux Falls.

Swanson began his week of double-digit scoring Feb. 5, when he totaled 17 points in Girard's 70-56 victory over Strong Vincent at East High School's Bill Brabender Gymnasium. That was the same site where East previously beat the 'Jackets for one of their two region losses to that point.

"It was good to come back here and get a win after we played here pretty badly against (East)," Swanson said after Girard beat Vincent.

Sandwiched between that victory and the one over Harbor Creek was Girard's 63-36 win over the visiting Fort LeBoeuf Bison on Feb. 7. Swanson totaled 14 points. Swanson scored 19 points Tuesday in the 'Jackets' 59-41 win over East, helping Girard improve to 17-4 overall and second in the region at 11-2.